More crafting for Spring...

A bowl.

Can you tell that we are into tissue paper crafts around here? This one involves the use of  porcelain bowl as a mold for sort of papier-mache bowl done with tissue strips. This is a multi-day project as there are several points along the way where one must wait for the whole thing to dry before proceeding. I think projects like this cultivate a child's ability to be patient and see something through to its finish.

We took inspiration for this project from a library book called The Jumbo Book of Paper Crafts , by Amanda Lewis.

(failure...talk about cultivating patience...we had to start all over)

 One of the first steps is coating the bowl heavily with petroleum jelly ... important step! Too light of a coating results in a porcelain bowl with a coating of hard tissue that won't come off!

So here are the steps in a nutshell:
DAY 1
- Cut tissue paper into manageable strips (about 1" x 3" or so) ...ours had glitter in it...extra zesty!
- Find a smooth-bottomed bowl to use as a mold and apply a thick coating of petroleum jelly to its outer surface.
- It helped us to prop the bowl upside down on a canister to give Toucie better access to it.
-For the first layer, gently dip strips of tissue into water and apply to outside of bowl. Allow this to dry.
DAY 2
-Begin applying layers of tissue strips with a paintbrush dipped in a blend of 1 part water to 1 part white glue.
(We strayed from the book's directions in our method for applying the strips. They call for you to brush glue on the strips , then apply them to the bowl. Toucie brushed glue on the bowl and then applied the strips to the wet surface. If any corners needed smoothing down, she just brushed them with her glue-y brush until they behaved.)
-Try to build up several layers of tissue...we made it to around 10 layers, which worked fine....I think the book recommended going for 20 (!!)
-Allow this to dry overnight.

DAY 3
- When bowl is dry, gently remove it from the mold and wipe out any excess jelly from inside.
- Apply at least one layer of strips to the inside of your bowl (with your thinned glue and brush) and make the rim nice and neat.
- Allow to dry.
DAY 4
- The book recommends using a product like Mod-Podge to seal and harden the bowl, but we didn't. Ours is sturdy enough to be a usable vessel, but delicate enough to require that Toucie is mindful and gentle when she handles it. I like everything about it...the way it looks, the practical job it has, and the lessons it imparted :)